Shortage of workers
Jul 12th 2021 | 12:23 am
#46
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 40,070
From: Ontario
Re: Shortage of workers
It's not the number of business owners that matters here but the number of employees. Amazon, Tesla and the Virgin group collectively "employ" vast numbers of people (quotes as doubtless many workers are technically independent subcontractors on zero hour arrangements). At this level business profit is privatized, losses socialized. As long as we, the taxpayers, are providers of the safety net for big businesses (e.g. RBS, GM, Chrysler) we should have an influence on their conduct and should require that they pay workers a reasonable minimum wage. In smaller businesses the owner is taking a real risk and deserves consideration for that.
Been there. Done that. Found it beneficial to fund workers to a level such that they could, at least, afford bus fare to work and not irritate me with grumbling stomach noises and begging for my crusts.
Employers take the risk of loss and failure, bad debt, economic declines, pandemic shut downs, crop failures; a tornado, major hail storm, or excessive heat can destroy a crop. Owners spend many years building a business, plenty living on the bread line while the business develops and only reap the benefits many years down the road. Some lose everything on the gamble. Many business owners self fund their retirement, taking the burden off the state, many business owners support philanthropic initiatives small and large.
I don't understand how a business owner would have an alternative to self funding retirement, Living on the state pension hasn't been a realistic option since, I dunno, since Thatcher, maybe. That's something corporate employees increasingly have to do as well as the era of defined benefit employer funded pensions is long gone. I image many business owners don't actually retire. Even if they sell up they're likely hooked on working and take some sort of consulting position.
A great many business owners value their employees and look after them, they are an organisations most valuable asset. A living wage varies by locale, it is what is needed by 2 people to live in that area, not one person. Many organisations pay above the living wage. A lot because they choose to, competition for labour is also pushing up wages. Consumers need to be prepared to pay more however, as costs go up prices will go up. For our commodity the reseller makes 300% more than we do, I have seen wholesale go up 10% and retail go up 25 to 30% in reponse. When farming become unprofitable farmers drop out, farmland is put to other uses, food is in short supply and prices go up further. Canada has supply management for some agricultural products, but not all.
Yes, egg and milk quotas are valuable assets around here. Prices for unregulated agricultural products do swing wildly, since I've been buying them small squares have been as low as $3 and as high as $15 depending on the weather here, the weather in States close Florida, and many other factors.
The business owner, especially the owner of a small to medium sized farming business, is taking a real risk and, when it works out, deserves reward. If it doesn't work out the business owner will suffer. The employee is not as invested. The employee is not going to get dramatically richer or poorer, the employee should be able to live a life of modest respectability. We can't trust employers to step back from exploitation so we need a liveable minimum wage, though a wage adequate to support two people is a stretch for me.
Jul 12th 2021 | 12:38 am
#47
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Shortage of workers
One thing about having a low income, you are always a little hungry everyday, eat too much and the food will run out before payday.
